Venezuela

Venezuela is a South American country located to the south of the Caribbean Sea/Atlantic Ocean. Venezuela has extremely high biodiversity, with the Andes being located in the west, the Amazon in the south, the Orinoco River delta in the east, plains in the center, and a coastline in the north. The country gained independence in 1811 under Simon Bolivar, who united Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador under Gran Colombia, but Venezuela would later become an independent country. Since the 1800s, Venezuela has had to deal with economic and political difficulties, and 1980s and 1990 economic crises led to several riots and political crises. In 1998, the Bolivarian Revolution under Hugo Chavez broke out, and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela was created. In 2016, the population was 31,416,000 people, with 51.6% being mestizos, 43.6% whites, 2.9% Afro-Caribenos, 1.2% others, and .7% descended from Africans.

Today, Venezuela has the largest oil reserves and is a leading exporter of oil, and Venezuela's socialist policies under Chavez boosted the economy and social spending, reducing economic inequality and poverty. However, the country's dependence on oil sales led to a decrease in value of the other industries, and Nicolas Maduro faced milk and flour shortages, among other shortages. In 2014, Venezuela entered a recession, and in 2015 the country had an inflation rate of 100%. From 2014 to 2016, protests went on in Venezuela, with 50 protesters being killed by the military. However, the country has been renowned for its beauty pageants and cosmetics, with 22 women being victorious in titles.